Check opening guard and check



June 1935- B.' D. WELLER 2,004,357

\ CHECK OPENING GUARD AND CHECK I i Filed Jan. 9, 1933 %2 9&3

. INVENTOR v Zak 0M1?! fl ifillar" BY 20 wise into the V rule, the coin-receiving openings thereof are de-.

Patented June 11, 1935 r a l 1 2,004,357 v V CHECK ornNING GUARD ANDCHECK', M Benjamin,D;;Weller, Cleveland Heights, a J f, V

i statements 9;

lwscia ii sQ-(cl.1944)" 5 aThis' invention, relates. to: limprovenien tsfiin check controlled apparatus, and the invention refers more specifically to. a novelguardcforob-i unauthorized check structing the passageof an 5: or slug, through thecheck of the apparatus, and to the such a guard of a for use therewith. .1 i i 3 While the invention is adapted for use generreceiving opening peculiar form of check adapted 10; ally in connection with other types and forms of check-controlled apparatus, it is particularly adapted for use in connectionjwith pay telephones and more specifically with that type of pay telephone having a coin box with coin-re:-

1 5; ceiving openings in which thecoins are adapted to be inserted flatwise. At the coin-receiving portion of such boxes, thewalls are usually so closely spaced it is virtually impossible to insert a coin edgeopening. Moreover, as a general void of any obstructions or guard means, so that it is a relatively simple matter to deposit in the boxes unauthorized circular metallic, and even non-metallic slugs. While certain types of vend ing machines have been provided with magnetic or electro-magnetio detecting devices, the use of which is eifectiveto prevent the insertion of slugs of unauthorizedmetal or size or non-metal1ic slugs in the slots of such machines, the speed with whichthe coin drops in the coin boxes ofpay"telephones'renders impractical the use of such magnetic or electro-magnetic devices in telephonefboxes; 'The unauthorized slugs, as a general rule, are. v

discs, annular steel washers, brass checks, steelbound paper tags, etc., which have lawful uses and the mere possession of which is not a criminal offense. In theIevent that a person is de 4O tected in the act of using or attemptingto use suchslugs, itis a very difficult matterto prove criminal intent, and indictments based onsuch acts are therefore very rare. Even where indictmentsare roved, the punishment is usually very In certain localities, the coiniboxes are provided with guard means which renders .it'neces sary to purchase a check of special shape tooleposit inthe openings thereof. Inone instance, an arm having a pear-shaped extremityex'tends radially into the opening, making purchase a check having a radial slot terminat ing in a central pear-shaped opening for inser,-.

tion into such opening. Such checks are objec 5 tionable because they can be easily duplicated by simple mutilation of the usual types of slugs which have been described, and sible to use semi-circular slugs, or slugs cut from an ,H -bar-:and having the flanges curvedor bent on into semicircular. shape, and either of which combination with", as those which have been that, as a practical consideration,

in I the form of circular steel it'necessary to} itis fact nos- 1933,, Serial to; 650,766

may be inserted through the, opening qwithout striking the aforesaid arm.

to provide novel "guard; means for obstructing theipassageof unauthorized checks or slugs such described through, the

" check-receiving openings of check-controlled ape paratua. particularly pay telephones,ybut, which shall be effective to permit the passage of authorized checks which aresold for specific use in such apparatus. Another object of the invention is to provide a check especially adaptedforiusejinl check-controlled apparatus, particularly pay'tele It is a primary object of the presentinvention ephones, whichshallj be ofsomewhat' intricate contour so as to render duplication thereof by mutilation of existing types of slugs extremely difficult, which shall; bediificult to counterfeit :ex-, cept with expensive dies or casting equipment and the character of which, on account of its p'e- I culiar design, maybe easily recognized, so as to render it diificultfor a personlto explain away an attemptto use the counterfeit check; To the:

accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then,,consistsi oi the means] hereinafter fully described and particularly. pointed out in'the claimsy The annexed drawing and the-following'de scription set forthin detail certain structureembodying the invention, such disclosed means con-.- stituting, however, but one of various structural forms in which the principle of the invention may be used. w r I In said annexed drawing:

F g. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a coin box of a p telephone, showingthe coin-receive ing openings, therefor; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view, taken on a plane substantially, indicated by he line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a perspectiveviewof the check ofthe present invention Referring more particularly, to the drawing, it illbe seenthat thetelephone box I is provided with openings the usual openings for the reception of nickels, dimes andquarters, respectively. I I For the purpose of preventing the insertionofi unauthorized slugs inisaid openings, each open 1 ing is provided with'guard means consisting of a pointedarmewhich extends radially into the opening and preferably beyond the of, and a second arm 6 1y into'the opening oiflthe opening substantially diametricallyxoppo site to the pointfromwhich the arm 5 extends;

center there-t which also extends radial-;

and whichis provided with diverging branches 1" having blunt ends. In addition to thesemembers,

from" a point on the periphery 2, 3, and 4, which correspond'to the openings i-are provided with auxiliary pointed members 8, which also extend radially thereinto II'OinwpQiIILfiSSpaCGd approximately from-the arm ii, It will; 1be particularly. noted that'the arm a 6 is in alignment with the arm 5 and that the more of the members 5, 6, I and 8. This makes it virtually impossible to enter a slug of the diameter or substantially the diameter of the opening edgewise therethrough. The obstruction imposed by the branches l makes it virtually impossible to insert a semi-circular slug of substantially the claim as my invention:

diameter of the opening flatwise into the opening. It will be also noted as indicated by the circle A in Fig. 1, that the members 8 extend at least as far radially inwardly as the distance between the periphery of the opening and points on the branches l most. closely. adjacent to the periphery. This makes it virtually impossible to utilize any-of the well-known types of slugs for flatwise insertion into the openings 2, 3 and 4. Annular steel washers could not be made to pass the. members 8, and even if such'washers were filed to pass these obstructions, they could not, without splitting them in half, be made to pass both the arms 5 and 6. The flatwise insertion of an H -bar slug would be prevented not only by the presence of the members 8, but also by the fact that the horizontal cross-member of such slug could not be made. to pass between the extremities of the arm 5 and branches 1 without bending such crossmember. I

It will be further noted that the obstructing members 5, 6, l and 8 are fixed and are so arranged within the opening that a straight line drawnbetween any two points on the wall about the opening spaced by a central angle greater than about 120 will intersect at least one of the obstructing members. Three such lines are indicated by the. reference characters 13, C, and D, in Fig. 1. With this arrangement of the obstructing members, the insertion of any slug which is of a diameter greater than the length of the aforesaid line is effectively prevented.

A check which is to be used for the specific purpose of insertion into the openings 2, 3 and 4, must therefore necessarily assume a form, such as shown by way of example. in Fig. 3. This check consists of a disk-like metallic memberhaving a slot 9 extending radially inwardly from one point in the periphery thereof, a slot is extending radially inwardly from a point in the periphery substantially diametrically opposite the point from which the slot 9 extends and having diverging slots I! extending therefrom and notches or recesses l2 at intermediate points in the periphery of the member, preferably at points 120 from the points from which the slots 9 extend. The various portions of the check are of such dimensions as to permit the check to be easily inserted in the openings of the coin box, but without-excessive clearance between the portions thereof and the corresponding guard portions of the openings.

It will be apparent that the contour of the check is such as to render duplication thereof by mutilation of existing types of slugs extremely difficult and therefore undesirable, and that counterfeiting of the checks, which would require expensive dies or casting equipment, would be impractical, because of the difllculty of successfully explaining away the possession or attempteduse of the counterfeit checks. I 7

While I have shown and described the invention as particularly adapted for use in connection with the coin boxes of pay telephones, it is to be understood thatthe invention is also adapted to beused in connection with other types of check-controlled apparatus as well as vending machines of various types. 7

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent "of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly 1. In a check-controlled apparatus having a check receiving opening, means for preventing the insertion of unauthorized slugs in said opening, said means including an arm extending radially into said opening from a point on the periphery thereof, and a Y-shaped member extending into said opening from a point on the periphery sub-' stantiallydiametrically oppositesaid arm, the branches of said Y terminating in a line intersecting said arm. v

2. In a check-controlled apparatus having a check receiving opening, means for preventing the insertion of an annular washer in said opening including a Y-shaped member extending into said iary members extending from other points on the periphery and inwardly at least as far as the check receiving opening, means for preventing the insertion of unauthorized slugs in said opening, said means including an arm extending radially into said opening from a point on the periphery thereof, a Y-shaped memberextending into said opening from a point on the periph ery substantially diametrically opposite said arm, and auxiliary members extending from other points on the periphery and inwardly at least as far as the distance between the periphery and the extremities of the branches of said Y.

4. In a check-controlled apparatus having a check-receiving opening, means for preventing the insertion of unauthorized slugs in said opening, said means including an' arm extending radially into said opening from a point on the periphery thereof, a Y-shaped member extending into said opening from a point on the periphery substantially diametrically opposite said arm, and auxiliary members extending from other points on the periphery and inwardly at least as far as the distance between the periphery and" 25' opening from a point on the periphery and auxilthe extremities of the branches of said Y, the

branches of said Y terminating in a line intersecting said arm. n

5. A check for use in check-controlled apparatus comprising a circular memberhaving a slot extending radially thereinto from a point in the periphery thereof and a Y-shaped slot extending into said member from a point on the peripheryv diametrically opposite the first-named slot, the branches of said Y terminating in a line intersecting the first-named slot.

6. A check for use in check-controlled appa-v ratus comprising a circular member having a' Y -shaped slot extending into said member from a point on the periphery thereof and other recesses extending into said member from the periphery thereof and to a point at least as far as the distance between the periphery and the extremities. of the branches of said Y slot.

. HBENJAMINJND. W LLER]; 

